Ulstein Verft in Norway has been awarded the contract to build a hybrid ferry for Color Line to service the Sandefjord to Strømstad route, starting in 2019.

She will be the largest plug-in hybrid ferry, 160 meters long and have a capacity for 2,000 passengers and about 500 cars.

The ferry is a plug-in hybrid, where the batteries are recharged via a shorepower with so-called green electricity from shore or can be recharged onboard by the ship’s generators.

The vessel, with the working name Color Hybrid, will run on battery power into and out of the fjord to Sandefjord. Thus not generating any air emissions in the area, nor engine or exhaust sounds.

Commenting on the contract, Ulstein CEO Gunvor Ulstein said: “This is an important milestone for us, and we are very pleased that we have been chosen as partner in this very exciting project.”

This is a welcome order for Ulstein, which has seen its workload for the offshore market drop.

The building cost is said to be approximately $125 million (NOK 1 billion).